Andy Lee: I'll be a star after I beat Chavez jr.-super star after Martinez

jose14y ago

By*Jason Kim:Middleweight contender Andy Lee (28-1, 20 KO’s) figures that a big win over WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (45-0-1, 31 KO’s) will make him a star when he faces the son of*boxinggreat Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. on June 16th at the Sun Bowl, in El Paso, Texas, in a fight that will be televised in the U.S on HBO.Lee said to ESPN “I can beat up Chavez and that will make me a star and then I can beat Martinez and that will make me a superstar. It is very exciting to be two fights away from that.”I think Lee wouldn’t be a superstar even if beats both of those guys. Chavez Jr. is popular because of fans of his famous father. He has a built in fan base that is already there for him. It doesn’t matter that most of his wins have come against weak opposition, and it doesn’t matter that he’s been carefully matched since he won the paper WBC title against Sebastian Zbik. Chavez Jr. could fight 3rd tier opposition and he’d have great ratings on HBO and fill up stadiums in Texas. He’s got his father’s name and all the fans that used to follow him. Lee can beat Chavez Jr., but he won’t get his fans and he won’t be a huge star in the U.S. like Chavez Jr. Beating Martinez won’t mean a thing because he doesn’t have much of a fan base either the U.S. Chavez Jr. does and he’ll remain incredibly popular even after he gets beaten.Lee is going to have a hard time because Chavez Jr. because he’s so much bigger and he likes to mug lighter opponents. Chavez Jr. will use his size to rough up and dominate Lee on the inside. He’ll force Lee to fight an inside fight by using his size to crowd him and bump and shove him to the ropes.

Comments (5)

Optimistic

Well, Andy's right, he would definitely become a bigger star if he actually accomplished all of that. I highly doubt he will though, but hey, ya never know.

14y ago

any_craic_lad

Yes you will Andy but its one thing to say it.Chavez Jr is a big enough hurdle without looking too Martinez

14y ago

Phantomas

I also thought Rubio was going to beat Jr. and it was like a camping day for Jr., he has improved his game and if Rubio couldn´t hurt him no one will at this division.

14y ago

DoktorSleepless

The thing about Chavez Jr. is that he's only really big among Mexicans. He hasn't transcended among more casual or broader demographics. If Andy Lee beats Chavez, it'll solidify his Irish fanbase because he'll have a world title, but I don't think it'll necessarily gain him plenty of new fans. A don't see many Mexican Chavez Jr fans becoming a fan of a random Irish dude because he doesn't have the right type of style and isn't Latino. Well, it really depends on the type of performance he gives. Pacquiao gained a following from Mexicans because he fought like a Mexican when he beat Morales and Barrera. The thing about Martinez is that he has a broader demographic behind him. He has to because there's no Argentinians in the US. Since fighting on HBO, he's fought a Puerto Rican, an African American, an all American white guy, an Eastern European, and an Irish guy. He must have picked up new fans from all those various backgrounds. Martinez most likely has a a sizable amount of fans spread all around, which gets him okay tv ratings, but he doesn't have a large fanbase in a concentrate region in the US. Most ticket sellers are only sellers in their hometown or in a place that's full of people of their respective ethnicity. Martinez doesn't have those two things. Andy Lee beating Martinez will do more for him than beating Chavez even though Chavez technically has more fans. He'll be the respected lineal champ and he'll be a lot more likely pick up new fans from the fans Martinez has than the fans Chavez has. On the other hand, Martinez beating Chavez will do a ton for him. As a Latino, Mexicans would be more likely to support him with that Chavez win.

14y ago

Evil_Abed

Lee already has a big follow in NYC. A win over Chavez Jr. would greatly improve his fan base. He could be bigger than Pavlik or Taylor (Ever was) if he beat Martinez.

14y ago